Temperature regulation during physical activity can be helpful in providing comfort to an individual. An undesirable body temperature can cause, among other things, an increase in physical stress, and a decrease in comfort, focus, and hydration. Maintaining a desirable temperature could be advantageous in several professions that require some sort of physical activity or occur under potentially adverse working conditions, such as the environment's temperature or appropriate/customary attire.
For example, a surgeon in an operating room is in an environment that often has a starting room temperature of 68-73 degrees Fahrenheit, along with bright (and hot) lights provided to illuminate the surgical site. Surgeons generally wear a uniform that consists of several layers of surgical garments. Also, surgeons are usually required to perform some sort of physical activity while conducting a surgical procedure. The surgeon's body temperature can become uncomfortably high due to the temperature of the room, bright lights, layers of clothing, and physical activity during the surgical procedure.
Workers in many other professions (e.g., firefighters, military personnel, athletes, construction workers, meat packers, and many other types of workers) also often encounter conditions in which the individual's body temperature could reach uncomfortably warm or cool levels, due to local working conditions, including the ambient temperatures. To prevent undesirable body temperatures, individuals can use body temperature-controlling garments to regulate their body's temperature.
The temperature-controlling garments currently on the market have characteristics that could be undesirable in certain situations. Several garments on the market include insulation to maintain the temperature of an ice or heat pack, requiring additional weight of the garment. Other garments are made out of material that must be washed between wears, resulting in additional time and resources consumed for maintenance. Commercially available cooling vests are tethered to pump coolers with tubes and cords, thus restricting the user's movement. Also, due to the additional features (e.g., insulation, reusable cloth material, tethering) the temperature-controlling garments currently on the market are relatively expensive. Further, many current temperature-controlling garments on the market are not designed to specifically target the neck region of the user. Regulating the temperature on an individual's neck could improve the physical performance of the individual according to Tyler and Sunderland, “Cooling the Neck Region During Exercise in the Heat.” Journal of Athletic Training 46.1 (2011): 61-68.